Sky Totem

Louise Nevelson, Sky Totem, 1956, painted wood, 70 ³⁄₄ x 9 ¹⁄₂ x 5 ¹⁄₂ in. (179.7 x 24.0 x 14.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.67

Artwork Details

Title: Sky Totem
Artist: Louise Nevelson
Date: 1956
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 70 ³⁄₄ x 9 ¹⁄₂ x 5 ¹⁄₂ in. (179.7 x 24.0 x 14.0 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums: wood
Mediums Description: painted wood
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Abstract — geometric
Object Number: 1986.6.67
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.6.67

Artwork Description

Louise Nevelson aimed at something that she called order, rightness, or spiritual essence. Early in her career, when materials and money were scarce, she roamed lower Manhattan looking for cast-off objects to use in her work, and during a 1950 trip to Mexico, she became intrigued with the spiritual symbolism of pre-Columbian sculpture. Sky Totem is a flattened tower made from pieces of molding and scrap wood. The monochromatic black surface echoes the awe-inspiring totemic forms of ancient Mayan, African, and Northwest Coast cultures.

Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection, 2014